Mixing valve



Sept. 14, 1943.

A.J K. HlNcHMAN i 2,329,371

MIXING VALVE y Filed Feb. 2v. 1942 4 sheets-snaai 2 Sept 14, 1943. A. .H1NCHMAN 2,329,371

MIXING VALVE Filed Feb. 27. 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 OZONE G51M-19470K Sept. .11.4 1943. A. K. HINCHMAN MIXING VALVE Filed Feb. 27, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 the lever and consequently the valve are limited by the stops 45 and 46 which may be lugs on the valve casing.

To the inlet side 3| of the mixing valve is`connected the outlet of the ozone control valve 41 and form a unit with the mixing valve. This ozone control valve includes a housing 48 within which is an apertured partition 49 functioning as a valve seat and also dividing'the interior of the housing into two compartments 50 and 5|.

A poppet valve 52 cooperates with the aperturedy partition or valve seat and has a stem projecting through and slidably mounted in said partition.' A spring 53 urges the poppet valve towards a closed position in opposition to suction caused by operation of the engine. In compartment I` is a butterfly valve 54 having an operating member 55 on the outside of the housing and may also have an indicator or pointer56 to show atl all times the position of said butterfly valve.

An ozone generator .51 is`convenient1y located relative to the balance of the apparatus and includes a suitable airtight sealed casing or container 58. Within this casing is an outer tubular electrode 59 containing a snugly fitting insulating sleeve 60 of glass` or other suitable material, such as Pyrex.

Within said sleeve 60 is snugly fitted an inner tubular electrode 6| and snugly fitting inside-of said inner electrode is an insulating sleeve 62 which may also be of glass or some other suitable material and internal threads 63 are provided at both ends thereof. In the present disclosure, sleeve 62 is made of Pyrex Screwed into each fend of the insulating sleeve :i:

62 is an insulated stuiilng box 64 which is exteriorly threaded for this purpose and permits limited longitudinal adjustment of the stufng box within the sleeve 62.

An exteriorly threaded rod 65 projects through each stuffing box -andhas threaded connection with the latter to provide for longitudinal adjustment thereof. Onthe inner end of each rod is la head 66 of slightly smaller diameter than `the interior diameter of the sleeve 62 so that thecircumference `of said head is spaced from `the inner surface of said sleeve 62. Each threaded rod and its head forms a high tensionjelectrode.

A conductor 61 is connected to the inner tubular electrode 6| at'one end thereof and to the adjacent high tension electrode, and anotherconductor 68 is connected tothe outer electrode 59 and its adjacent or other high tension electrode. -Another conductor 69 connectsone end of the outer electrode 59 with the secondary side of the"` transformer and still anotherv conductor 1I connects the opposite end of the inner electrode 6| with said secondary side of the transformer 18.

The primary side of the transformer is vconnected by line conductors 12 with a source of electrical -energy and said conductors 12 pass through air- Vtight insulators 13 in one Wall of the casing or container 51.

An air inlet 14 leads from the exterior of the rcasing or vcontainer 51 and passes through the tubular electrodes 59 and 6| and their insulating `rsleeves 60 and 62 to Aa location inside of theinner insulating sleeve `62 between the two stuiiing boxes 64, and said air inlet 14 has a suitablev air controlling valve interposed therein at any convenient location outside of the casing 51.

Leading from the space within the inner insulating sleeve 62 between the two stuffing boxes and at adistance from the point of entrance of the rair inlet 14, is an ozone outlet 16 Ypassing r'permitting air to enter the casing or container 51 for mixture with the produced ozone, I provide Aa secondary or auxiliary air inlet or intake 11 leading only to the interior of said casing or container 51 and said secondary air inlet or intake is controlled by a cock 'or valve 18.

'I'he interior of the casing or container 51 is in communication with the chamber of the ozone controlling valve 41 through aconduit 19 which may be provided with a pressure gage 69. When the ozone passes through the controlling valve 41 and enters the mixing valve 24, said ozone will mix with and enrich the gas also entering the mixing valve and the fuel thus formed will be drawn from said ,mixing kvalvefthrough the conduit 8l to the intakeor intakes or yintake manifold of the engine I0, by vacuum on the engine side and compression on the fuel side of the intake. y l

Itis advisable, under some conditions, as when operating an engine at high altitudes, such as in `the stratosphere, to raise the temperature of the ozone just before entering the mixing valve. This may be accomplished in any suitable or desirable manner, and for convenience of illustration only, I show in Fig. l a hot air drum 82 connected with a source of heat, for example, the exhaust 83 of the engine. A hot air pipe 94 runs from said drum 82 to a stove 85 comprising coils of said pipe, a chamber formed by a jacket on the ozone controlling valve 41 or other equivalent means. Of course this heat exchange device can be a part of the inlet structure`-3| of the mixing valve or part of both the controlling and mixing valves.

When the heat is not needed it may be shut oir by a damper or valve 96 interposed in the pipe 84. rIn order to agitate the hot air passing through the pipe and keep an even flow thereof, a fan 81, Fig. 3, is installed in said pipe between the damper 86 and the stove or heat exchange element 85. This fan is particularly advantageous where the exhaust products pass directly through the pipe 94 as a by-pass of the exhaust outlet. l

In practice, the operation of the apparatus is as folloWs:-An electric current is caused to ow through the primary ofthe transformer 19 and thereafter thesecondary or high tension induced current feeds into the tubular electrodes 59 and 6| and thence to the high tension electrodes and this high tension current passes from one high tensionV electrode to the otherz, During the operation of the electrical portion of the apparatus as above described,` air or oxygen, preferably the former, is permitted to ow through the inlet 14 into Athe chamber formed .by the inner insulating sleeve 62 and the stuffing boxes, where it is acted upon by the high tension current and converted into ozono which then news through the outlet 16 into the interior of the casing 51 from where it flows, in due course, through the conduit 19 into the chamber 50 of the ozone controlling valve 41. y

At the same time liquiiied gas is `permitted to ilow from the receptacle I6 through the conduit I9 and'either through the engine cooling chamber I4 or through the by-pass 21 to the conduit 22 into the mixing chamber 28 of the mixing valve 24. Where this liquled gas passes through the cooling chamber of the engine, the movement and expansion of said gas will cause its temperature to drop considerably and cool the engine without relying upon the use of the ordinary water cooling systems but a stream of ai'r may be used to dissipate heat as will be later described. Under some conditions gas from the emergencyr tank 39 may be allowed to flow through the conduit 40 to the mixing chamber 29 of the mixing valve 24.

In any case, with the valves properly set, when the engine piston is on its suction stroke a suction action is created in the conduit 8| and the throttle valve chamber 30 backto the chamber of the ozone controlling Valve 41 thus drawing a charge of ozone from the chamber 50. As the ozone passes through the throttle valve chamber it is mixed with gas ejected through the duct 35 into said throttle valve chamber. Thefilow of the fuel thus produced is controlled by the throttle valve 4| for retarding or accelerating thek engine.

In order that the operator may, at all times, be aware of the amount of liquied gas on hand in the tank or receptacle I5, the latter is supported on a suitable weighing device or scale 8B, Figs. 9 and 10, including an indicator 89 in easy access to the operator whereby said operator may readily observe the indicator reading. The indicator 89 should be of the type that registers zero for the weight of the container I5, which weight is a known quantity, or one that can be adjusted to zero for tare should containers of this kind vary in weight. Under these conditions, when a full container is placed on the weighing device, the. weight of the liquiiied gas will be indicated and as said gas is used the indicator will gradually return to zero thus showing how the gas is dispensed and iinally indicating when the container is empty.

It is also advisable, under some conditions, to maintain the liquied gas at a substantially even temperature as it enters the mixing valve 24. This is accomplished by causing a, stream of air to ow about the engine or over a portion of the gas conduit or both. For convenience of illustration I have shown the temperature regulator, Figs. 9 and 10, as including a fan 90 actuated by an electric motor 9|. Suitable conductors 92 are connected to a source of electricity 93 and with the motor 9| and a thermostat 94 which in turn is connected, as by a tube 95, with the warm side of the gas conduit leading to the chamber 28 of the mixing valve 24. By this arrangement should the liquied gas reach a point above a predetermined or preselected degree of temperature the thermostat will close the circuit of the motor 9| and cause the ian to force a` f stream of air about the engine vor the gas conduit or both and thereby reduce the temperature of the liquied gas prior to entering the mixing valve 24. y

Where the apparatus is used in connection with an air cooled engine Illa, as shown in Fig. l0, the liquefied gas conduit |911, which leads directly to the chamber 29 of the mixing valve 24, may be wound about the engine cylinder between fan to propel a current of air about the engine which will assist in maintaining the gas at the desired temperature and while said desired temperature is maintained the thermostat will keep the fan motor circuit open so the ian will be inoperative. y

In the arrangement particularly illustrated in Fig, 10, the heat exchange coils 96 formed in the gas conduit |9a and surrounding the engine assist in reducing the temperature of said enginev and raising the temperature of the gas flowing through said conduit |9a. Should the temperature of the gas rise above a predetermined or preselected degree the fan 92| will be operated,

as before described, and when the temperature is reduced sufficiently, the fanwill bestopped.

In order to prevent a retrograde flow of the gases, check valves 91 and 98 may be located between the respective inlets, provided by the conduits 22 and 40, and the expansion chamber 28 and 29, said check valves ocacting with'the respective seats 99 and |00.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described as these may be varied withinthe scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

l. A mixing valve comprising a housing having an expansion chamber therein to which leads an inletl a valve controlled outlet duct leading from said expansion chamber, a throttle valve chamber offset relative to the expansion chamber and said outlet duct having an inlet and outlet, a valve controlled cross-duct communieating ywith the first mentioned duct and the throttle valve chamber, and a throttle valve rotatably mounted in said throttle valve chamber and having a wedge shaped notch in its inner end constantly in communication with the crossduct and movable across the inlet and outlet of the throttle chamber.

2. The structure in claim 1 wherein the mixing valve housing has a second expansion chamy ber in opposed relation to the other one, said second expansion chamber having a valve controlled outlet duct leading to the cross-duct.

3. A valve unit consisting of a mixing valve. comprising a housing having an expansion cham-v ber to which leads a gas inlet, a throttlevalve chamber offset relative to the expansion chamber and having an inlet and outlet, an outlet duct throttle having a wedge shaped notch in its.k

inner end, said throttle rotatably mounted in the throttle chamber to control the inlet and outlet of said throttle chamber and the notch being in constant communication with the crossduct, an ozone controlling valve housing having an inlet and outlet, the latter connected to the inlet ofthe throttle valve chamber, an apertured partition dividing the controlling valve housing into two compartments, a spring operated poppet valve normally closing the aperture in the parhousing. y

` ALVA K. HINCHMAN. 

